We are in Canada!

13 July 2015 | St Ignace to Harbor Island to Thessalon ONT

Crossed the border yesterday morning after a restful night in Harbor Island. We are now in Thessalon, on the north shore of the North Channel.

Our progress has been uneventful. We left Beaver under sunny skies and made great time to the Straits. Weird that we saw only one Laker (but it was too hazy and too far away to ID) and only a few cruising boats. Getting in to port by mid-afternoon is getting to be a nice habit. St Ignace Marina is a beautiful facility with floating docks, a clean, modern boaters' lounge and great staff. There are a few restaurants nearby... we only checked out the Ace Hardware next door and the Shell station down the street (our last beer stop before Canadian pricing). But we did order pizza that was delivered directly to the boat!

The wind the next day was perfect for a run to DeTour Passage, swinging between SW and NW and getting up to 12 knots. We passed DeTour Village early afternoon and dropped anchor by 4pm. Trying out the new windlass was a but trickly, but successful.

Harbor Island is a Michigan wildlife refuge, a horseshoe shaped island with much more water inside than the chart shows. We took our first swim of the season, which was cool but surprisingly, not uncomfortable. This anchorage gave us a perfectly calm night.

The next morning was dead calm... I could even make breakfast underway. It is only a 15 mile trip to Thessalon to check in to customs, so we were there before noon. As Bill was waiting on the phone to check-in to Canada, Officer Ralph and his new recruit showed up to check us in personally. We now have our official window sticker permit for our Canadian cruising.

We are spending over a week in Bimini waiting for weather to cross to the Berry Islands (a 75 mile crossing that will require two good days). So we walk, drive, and dinghy our way around North Bimini to learn about the land and the people.

Our favorite anchorage on the eastern shore. The cove featured St Martin Point house and grounds, a 19th century home with accommodations for eighteen people, currently available as vacation rental. Dan, the caretaker invited us to explore the house and grounds.

I walked from the yacht club to the downtown area to purchase a nautical chart at the general store. Charming homes from the mid-1800s with fenced in yards and patios. Main square at City Hall has umbrella tables and chairs to enjoy the fresh air. Lots of interesting shops and restaurants, wished we could stay longer.